Immersion cooling is a technique used to cool electronic equipment. It involves immersing the electronic equipment in a tank containing coolant that is in liquid form. Heat generated by the electronic equipment is transferred to the coolant fluid which undergoes evaporation, convection, and condensation, thereby ensuring that the temperature of the electronic equipment remains within a required operating range.
This method of cooling may be more effective and efficient than traditional air cooling for reasons such as the higher specific heat capacity of liquids compared to air, the advantageous cooling rate provided by a fluid that evaporates, and the undesirable energy required by fans that need to drive air through a system.
Coolant fluids (hereinafter may be referred to as heat transfer fluids or fluids) used must be non-conductive in order to not short or damage electronic equipment submerged within, and ideally evaporate at a low temperature. An example coolant fluid often used is the NOVEC™ Engineered Fluid manufactured by 3M™ of St. Paul, Minn.
The fluid may become contaminated during operation due to the leaching of primarily oils out of elastomers (for example common in PVC cable insulations) due to the solvent properties of some of the fluids. There might also be general contamination of the coolant fluid during normal maintenance and setup of the system.
It is important for the coolant fluid to remain pure by being filtered in order that it retains its advantageous properties and continues to provide maximum performance. Active-filtering when the fluid is pumped through a filter is effective, however it requires energy and therefore defeats an objective of immersion cooling that is to save energy.
Such coolant fluids are often expensive and therefore it is desirable to minimize loss of coolant fluid during the replacement of filters. Furthermore it is desirable for a low amount of coolant fluid to be required within the system, by designing it as compact as possible.
With the above in mind, it is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved immersion cooling system and filter assembly.